People view a photo exhibit marking the 20th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's election to general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea at the People's Palace of Culture in this photo released on October 3, 2017 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang.

 

Las Vegas

 

Police sought clues to explain why a retiree with a penchant for gambling but no criminal record set up a sniper’s nest in a high-rise Las Vegas hotel and poured gunfire onto a concert below, slaying dozens of people before killing himself. The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, left no immediate hint of his motive for the arsenal of high-powered weaponry he amassed, including 34 guns, or the carnage he inflicted on a crowd of 22,000 attending an outdoor country music festival. 

 

Gunman described as well-off gambler and a loner

 

A day after, Vegas is not quite Vegas

 

Reuters TV: Vegas mourns as it looks for answers

 

Interactive: Major shootings in the U.S.

 

U.S.

 

The White House ruled out talks with North Korea except to discuss the fate of Americans held there, again appearing to rebuke Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said Washington was directly communicating with Pyongyang on its nuclear and missile programs. “We’ve been clear that now is not the time to talk,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters, reiterating a tweet from President Donald Trump at the weekend that was seen as undercutting Tillerson.

 

The Trump Effect: An interactive on Trump’s impact on healthcare

 

Americans are increasingly confident in the news media and less so in Trump’s administration after a tumultuous year in U.S. politics that tested the public’s trust in both institutions, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The poll of more than 14,300 people found that the percentage of adults who said they had a “great deal” or “some” confidence in the press rose to 48 percent in September from 39 percent last November.

 

Key employment dispute leaves Supreme Court divided

 

Tom Petty, 'distinctively American' rocker, dies aged 66

 

 

Actor Helen Mirren presents a creation as she walks on a giant catwalk on the Champs Elysees avenue during a public event organized by French cosmetics group L'Oreal as part of Paris Fashion Week, France October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

 

Business

 

World shares hit their latest in a run of record highs, while the dollar was at it loftiest in 1-1/2 months as encouraging U.S. data lifted it in tandem with global bond yields. 

 

Luxury electric vehicle maker Tesla said its deliveries rose 4.5 percent in the third quarter from the prior-year period, but said “production bottlenecks” had left the company behind its planned ramp-up for the new Model 3 mass-market sedan. 

 

Consumer lending, insurance issues to weigh on Wells' CEO's Senate appearance 

 

Uber boss to meet London transport chief in bid to keep license 

 

Former Equifax chief will face questions from U.S. Congress over hack

 

Breakingviews - Nestlé can pre-empt Dan Loeb with refreshed board

 

World

 

Trump will fly to Puerto Rico to view the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Maria and meet residents, many of whom are frustrated and resentful that they are still struggling with basic necessities two weeks after the storm.The trip gives Trump the chance to show solidarity with survivors and demonstrate how his government intends to help them recover after they were hit by the worst hurricane in 90 years. 

 

Gravitational wave pioneers win 2017 Nobel Physics Prize

 

Reuters Backstory: When women drive the story in Saudi Arabia

 

Metro, roads disrupted in Catalonia pro-independence protest

 

Commentary

 

Don't be distracted by the apocalyptic tweets between Trump and his critics over aid to hurricane-hit Puerto Rico, writes columnist Peter Van Buren. With the U.S. president scheduled to visit the island, Van Buren - a U.S. State Department veteran with extensive experience in disaster management - says relief efforts are following the "standard playbook."

 

If Spanish authorities hoped strong-arm tactics against the independence referendum for Catalonia would nip nationalist feeling in the bud, they will almost certainly be proved wrong, writes columnist Peter Apps. "Events in Spain are a stark reminder that almost every European country remains trapped in a slow-burning political crisis with an ever-growing chance of unusual, unorthodox and outright aggressive nationalist or radical politics eroding the center ground."